The lake is surrounded to the northwest by the town of South Peacham, Vermont, to the south by Mosquitoville, Vermont, and to the east by Barnet Center, Vermont. The northern side produces a small channel near West Barnet, Vermont that is held back upstream by a dam, owned by the town of Barnet. Most of the lakefront is now dominated by Harvey's Lake Park with its public beaches and picnic areas, and a private campground.

Ocean explorer and SCUBA inventor Jacques Cousteau [3] had influential experiences on Harvey's Lake as a young boy in the early 1920s. While attending a summer camp he experimented with staying underwater by breathing through hollow reeds found in the lake shallows. Though he could not yet swim well, this allowed him to stay underwater for extended periods.